Baby Blue
by OmenProphecy
Summary: Zoe Blue woke up on her thirteenth birthday to find that nearly all of Hogwarts was drawn to her like iron to a magnet. At first, she didn't mind, but it quickly began to pall. Thrust back in time two years later, she has the chance to rock the world and change everything. Only, it was a bit difficult to hide when you pull people with you.
1. Chapter I

**_Prologue_**

It was time for her to run. After all, he was an Auror, a long-time, no-nonsense one. If she didn't take him down, he would take her down.

What had she done to deserve this...?

Besides entrancing him like all the others, anyway. But that wasn't really her fault, was it?

Wasn't it funny how easily she could make them dance at the ends of her strings?

She didn't really mind the kids at school tailing her like they were her shadows. It was kind of normal after a while. Ever since she turned thirteen, _BAM_, she was an entirely new person. It wasn't her choice, and she would give anything to have the so-called 'gift' taken away.

This magnetism of hers didn't help her any when she was fleeing from who-knows-how-many things. He wasn't the only one after her.

**_Chapter_**_ **I**_

_Baby Blue was a girl you half-saw_  
_Slipping in and out unnoticed_  
_Yet always drawing eyes._  
_-Annie Lyon_

It wasn't her fault. On the morning of her thirteenth birthday, suddenly most of the school had it bad for Zoe Blue. She didn't know what happened. It seemed that the only ones who were spared were the ones who knew her before then, and even they felt the pull.

Okay, and there weren't that many.

Zoe went to breakfast that morning, and all eyes were on her for probably the first time in her life. Feeling incredibly self-conscious, Zoe went to sit at the Ravenclaw table with Luna Lovegood.

"Mornin'," she yawned.

Luna looked up, her eyes seeming to see through Zoe, the Great Hall, and the sky to whatever was beyond. "You're very popular today," she remarked.

Zoe leaned forward. "Do you know what that's about?"

Luna shrugged.

The slightly frustrated girl pulled her breakfast close and began to eat. The entire scene called to mind eyes in the dark.

Potions was particularly productive that day, most performing better than they ever had. Luna suggested that it might be because of her. Zoe denied it immediately, but she couldn't help but wonder, and wish.

Attention had always been something that Zoe didn't get often, so this- this- _miracle_ was more than welcome.

Zoe's own potion was strictly average. She finished it hardly a minute before the bell rang. Snape didn't comment, but Zoe felt his eyes all the way out the door.

Transfiguration was nearly the same. They were supposed to be turning a cup into a spoon, and most of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws did manage it. McGonagall was exceedingly proud of both Houses, and awarded them twenty points apiece. Zoe couldn't stop grinning on the way to Herbology.

"You know," said Luna, "this might not be quite as brilliant in a few weeks."

Luna was probably right, but Zoe didn't say anything.

Luna and Zoe shared a tray with two Hufflepuffs, Jacqueline and Brandon. Zoe was starting to feel like personal space was a myth.

Jacqueline accidentally dropped a handful of puffapods, and they bloomed right there on the greenhouse floor. Jacqueline's face turned bright red, and she spent the better part of the next quarter hour apologizing. She was practically in tears.

Zoe kept telling the girl that it was all right, but she wasn't sure it was helping very much. This was, perhaps, the downside. But then again, she'd expected one, just not it being... whatever this was.

The blonde girl beside Zoe couldn't stop smirking.

"Luna..." Zoe whined.

Luna shrugged. "I don't know. Quit asking me."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course, and so are you."

Her friend was right. It did feel incredible.

~.*xOx*.~

As usual, Luna's predictions turned out to be true. Within weeks of her thirteenth birthday, her popularity began to grate at Zoe. She was generally a very introverted, anti-social person, so all of the people that suddenly paid attention to her was rather unnerving. Luna was the only person Zoe felt comfortable around. That had always been the case.

Luna walked with Zoe to all her classes, but they could never really hear each other over their unwanted companions' noise. They eventually stopped trying to talk.

Now they were in their dormitory in Ravenclaw Tower, having a serious conversation.

"I'm tired," Zoe said, rubbing her face.

Luna put her arms around her friend and pulled Zoe's head onto her shoulder. "I don't know how you stand it," she said honestly.

Zoe took a deep breath. "I never asked for this. Did I? I might have enjoyed it at the beginning, but doesn't karma know what a good miracle is?"

The other girl laughed. "If it did, it wouldn't have let Harry Potter into the Triwizard Tournament. Sure, he'll survive, but still."

"That's true." Zoe snuggled into Luna's shoulder. "Thanks, for everything. You're the best friend I could ask for."

"That's what 'best friends' means. You're my best friend too." There was a pause, then Luna sniffed. "I've been doing some research," she said.

Zoe looked up, intrigued. She knew Luna wouldn't be saying anything if she didn't have something good.

Luna grabbed Zoe's hand, and her heart sank. "It's not really supposed to be a blessing _or_ a curse. It's sort of a balance. The world needs something to tip itself over, and you're it." She squeezed her hand. "There have been other instances. All of them disappeared two years after they received the magnetism."

Zoe's eyes filled with tears. "Are you saying I'm going to disappear on my fifteenth birthday?"

"Yes."

The two friends cried together, but only briefly. They both knew that there was no point fighting something inevitable, and there was no point crying over it. Both returned to what was now normal life, making the most of each other's company, and counting down the days until Zoe would leave.

~.*xOx*.~

The day had finally come. In only a few short hours, it would be Zoe's birthday. Luna and Zoe skipped class the day before, praying that they would be wrong and Zoe could stay. They spent the entire day with their arms clasped together, as if Luna could physically hold her back.

They both stayed up until four-thirteen in the morning, the exact time Zoe was born. They said tearful good-byes, and the moment the hand on the clock twitched to the _thirteen_, Zoe faded out. "I love you, Luna," she said, her voice ringing in the stillness she'd left behind.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe woke up the next morning, wondering why she was in the Hospital Wing. She swung her legs over the bed easily, yanking back the curtains. A motherly woman greeted her warmly. Zoe learned that her name was Madame Pomfrey, and that Zoe had been found on the steps to the main doors. She briefly wondered why she hadn't shown up in the Ravenclaw fifth year dormitory.

"Wait," she said. "That's all well and good, but why am I in the Hospital Wing?" Zoe was actually doing a fairly good job at hiding the intense freak-out she was having inside.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why Madame Pomfrey looked younger. Approximately twenty years younger.

"Oh, Merlin," she whispered.

Madame Pomfrey looked up. "Hm?"

Zoe waved her hand dismissively, her lower lip trembling. "Is it all right to leave? I feel fine. Although..." Zoe trailed off. They probably wanted her to stay here, because she was a random non-student that managed to get past the wards.

Dumbledore would know what to do.

Wait- should she tell him?

Did she have a choice?

Professor Dumbledore appeared in the doorway, and Zoe jumped, her heart in her throat suddenly. "Wotcher," she said.

"Hello, miss. Madame Pomfrey, would you mind very much if I have a talk with your patient?"

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "No, no, not at all." She scurried into her office and shut the door.

He turned to Zoe, eyes twinkling just as much as ever. "Firstly, what is your name?"

"Zoe Blue, sir," she replied.

She did end up telling the man her story, and by the end he was nodding thoughtfully. "I have heard of cases like yours before. I believe you."

Zoe let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you, Professor."

"I suppose we should get you Sorted," he said.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe stared at the Hat, finally picking it up and placing it on her head. It was a bit big on her, but not nearly as much as when she was a first year. It was held up mostly by the nest that was her hair.

_Hello, Zoe._

'Hello, Hat. I think I want a change- so don't put me in Ravenclaw unless you really want to. Free reign.' She didn't mention that she didn't think she could stand being in the Ravenclaw dormitory without Luna, but she as sure the hat knew.

The Hat was silent for a moment, undoubtedly sifting through her thoughts and memories.

It was still silent, until it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Thanks," she whispered before taking it off.

Dumbledore was beaming at her. "I suppose you've changed since your first year."

Zoe nodded. Her heart was still pounding, and she was nervous, but she was also grinning. She wondered what Luna would say right then.

The Headmaster escorted the fifth year to the Gryffindor Tower, and Zoe felt the blood drain down to her feet.

"The password is 'Darelair'," he said. The portrait swung open. "I trust you'll want to rest before your official introduction at supper this evening. The girls' dormitories are on the left, go up to the fifth landing and find an empty bed."

With that the man left her alone. The Gryffindor common room was cozy and warm, with red and gold everywhere. There were two staircases on the far side of the room, and Zoe took the one on the left. On the fifth landing, there were doors going along the hallway. Zoe took the one at the very end.

Inside were five four-poster beds, with standard house-color bedspreads. Zoe flopped onto the bed closest to the door and immediately fell asleep.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe woke up at six. She walked into the bathroom, and found all of the necessary toiletries waiting patiently for her. She hopped into the shower and turned the water all the way to hot.

Almost fifteen minutes later, she went downstairs, completely clean, hair un-messed-with, and with a new Gryffindor-crested robe. The common room was nearly full, and not very many people noticed as she escaped.

She didn't want a guide, and she'd asked Dumbledore not to give her one. She knew Hogwarts like the back of her hand.

Once in the Great Hall, people did start to notice. Zoe hesitantly sat down at the red-and-gold table. Dumbledore raised his glass to her with a wink. She grinned back.

Soon the Great Hall was full. It was louder than Zoe remembered, especially at the Gryffindor table. Before the food appeared, Dumbledore stood up and called for attention.

"We have a new Gryffindor with us. Zoe Blue, please stand."

Zoe got the her feet, clenching her fists so that her nails cut into her palms. Everyone was staring at her, not that that was new.

She sat back down again, but she didn't lose the eyes. Or the smiles.

The boy beside her nudged her. "Hey, Blue," he said, his eyes unfocused and looking into her eyes. Zoe couldn't help but lean back a bit. This was why she'd stayed away from blokes for the past two years. "My name is Frank. Frank Longbottom."

Zoe started. She knew that name! He was Neville Longbottom's father.

Then she remembered what had happened to him.

They shared a smile.

"Oi, Blue!" Zoe heard another guy call. She cradled her head in her hands, vaguely wondering what she was going to do now that she was in the last generation.

What she could, she decided.

~.*xOx*.~

That night, Zoe made a decision. Instead of being miserable and avoiding everyone as she'd done for the past two years, why not play around a bit? It wasn't like they would leave her alone either way.

So after supper, instead of disappearing into her dormitory, Zoe stayed in the common room and fluttered about like the social butterfly she wasn't. Soon enough she had a trail of Gryffindors, crowding around.

Zoe made a point to whisper in Frank's ear that he go to Alice before she got jealous. He did, with the manner of a dog sent away.

"Lily," she said to the new Gryffindor Prefect, sitting on the arm of some boy's chair. Zoe ignored the dewy-eyed look that he gave her, and especially the feeling of power that rushed through her body.

Lily leaned forward in her armchair. "Hi, Zoe!" She beamed. "What do you need?"

The former Ravenclaw looked down, playing with her hands. It was all for show. "Oh, well, since I'm new and everything, I just wanted to know if I could be friends with you, since you're a Prefect and everything. I'm sure you'll be able to steer me away from the bad sort." Her voice lowered conspiratorially when she said 'bad sort'.

The smile Lily turned on her then was so radiant, Zoe could almost see James Potter fainting from behind her. "Of course! Do you want to sit with us in the Great Hall, and classes?" Her eyes pleaded with Zoe.

"Sure!" Zoe said. "So it's all right to just hang around you?"

After seeing Lily's eager nod, Zoe hugged her around the shoulders and left to make more connections.

It was a little cruel, she admitted, but it wasn't like she actually cared about them. Luna had been her only friend, and Zoe couldn't forget that and get a replacement. Then again, it wasn't worth it to remember too much and never get close with anyone again.

Besides, Zoe needed a ticket, and Lily was it. She was easily one of the most popular girls in Gryffindor, if not the school. She had connections in all four Houses and would allow Zoe a way to sink in her roots.

Zoe was supposed to tip the world? By Merlin's fuzzy owl pajamas, Zoe would tip the world, starting with Hogwarts.

~.*xOx*.~

It was a relief to get back to the silence of her dormitory. "Being social is hard," she announced to the still air.

Even the furniture seemed to agree with her.

Zoe was still remembering the nickname she'd been given, by none other than Sirius Black, escaped convict.

_She was laughing and chatting, of course she was. Soon enough she was joined by two boys her age. Zoe could tell that they were pretty high up on the food chain by the way most everyone allowed them to go on their way without any resistance._

_They had the same color hair, although James Potter's was perhaps a bit more brown. Sirius Black had hair to match his name: thick, dark and glossy. James wore round glasses._

_Zoe drew them into her web much like everyone else. It was truly a wonder what she could do with her power when she tried. The three conversed amiably, until Sirius referred to her as "Baby Blue". Zoe jerked back, surprised. She said it in her head mockingly._

_Baby Blue. Right._

_Yet she could tell that it fit, at least this side of her. It made it easier to detach herself from this new person that these people saw, by naming her something else._

_Baby Blue._

Zoe lied down on the comfortable bed, not bothering to change or pull back the sheets. She fell asleep swiftly, despite the nap she'd taken earlier in the day.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe dreamed that night of her family.

They weren't close by any means, but she wished that she would have tried to make some connection with them before she knew she had to leave.

It was far too late now.

Caroline, Klaus, and Finn were her siblings, but Zoe had never felt like they were. They were all older than she was, by quite a few years, and Zoe had felt left out all her life. Caroline was twenty-four now, and hadn't enjoyed having Zoe around even when they were younger, and their brothers followed Caroline's lead.

Zoe sometimes called her Care, as a sarcastic endearment. It soothed her hurt pride.

Klaus and Finn were wizards, and wanted nothing to do with their baby sister in public. On nearly every occasion, they'd gone so far as to deny relation to her.

Her mother was a muggle-born. Sierra Blue was beautiful, like Caroline. They both had flame-red hair and the same brown eyes, with no freckles and pale skin. Their features were straight and even, and the two were very close.

Zoe, however, got most of her looks from her father, a Muggle. Her eyes were a very pale brown, and Zoe liked them very much, simply because they were unique. Zoe was the only one in the family to inherit her father's unfortunately large nose. She had hair that was more auburn than red, and was slightly wavy. It reached the small of her back(when brushed), seeing as she hadn't cut it in three years. She rarely did anything with it, and it was frequently a rat's nest pulled back in a ponytail. Zoe had a healthy tan, not too brown and not too white.

Like her father, she was fairly tall. She still had a way to go, at five feet seven inches. She was a hundred and thirty-five pounds, and took great pains to hide it.

She bemoaned her small chest constantly. Both her mother and sister were very busty.

Everyone in her family was beautiful. She wasn't beautiful, not even close, in her eyes or anyone's. Stuck behind her own siblings, she'd always been second, third, or fourth to them. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

That was why she enjoyed the magnetism so much. It made up for her being plain, and that used to be enough for her.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe kept her promise to Lily and sat with her pretty much everywhere. They got closer, and Zoe slipped up and let her true self out just a bit too often. Her hold on Lily lessened, but Zoe didn't really care. Lily could be trusted to hold her secret.

It took months for the magnetism to fade for Lily to the point where she didn't feel the need to crowd like everyone else.

"Zoe," she said one day towards the end of May. "How ridiculous did I seem to you, your first night?"

The time-traveler shifted uncomfortably. "Very," she said simply, finally, honestly.

That was the end of that topic.

Zoe wasn't homesick. She just wished Luna were with her, laughing at the stupid things people did to get her attention the way she had since Zoe was thirteen. It was lonely, and even Lily couldn't come close to filling the spot in her heart that Luna had taken. Luna was her family and friends all wrapped up in one.

Lily still stuck to Zoe like glue- along with the rest of the human population, it seemed- but she was perhaps the only person Zoe could have a real conversation with. An ally, not a friend.

It seemed that a student's grades were either very high or very low, though most everyone's was the highest Hogwarts had ever seen.

All of the teachers noticed, and the students were given treat after treat. Dumbledore even ordered a feast in honor of the great increase in O's.

Zoe hadn't planned on attending, but it seemed she would be forced to change her mind. She sighed, sitting carefully on the edge of her Gryffindor-colored bed.

She could clearly hear Lily stomping down the hallway, her hard-soled shoes pounding in Zoe's eardrums.

_3, 2, 1..._

"You get your butt out here, Zoe Fortuna Blue!" Lily's foot tapping on the stone floor could be heard miles away.

Zoe opened the door, ready to slam it shut if Lily had her wand with her. Luckily, she didn't have to. "Yes, Lily-Flower?" she asked innocently in a high-pitched voice. "Whatever could you need at such a late hour? And," she added in a whisper, "I regret telling you my middle name."

Lily was _not_ in the mood. "It's five o'clock, and you need to get down here and show your fridge-face at the feast. I didn't wear a dress so you could just _decide _not to turn up!" She stomped her foot, making a loud clang. The other girl winced.

"Fine, I'll go, just let me get shoes on. I'm not going down bare-foot," Zoe relented, grinning a bit at their childishness.

She followed Lily downstairs, but she couldn't bring herself to slip into Baby Blue's persona.

"Baby Blue, are you feeling all right?" Black leaned over the table. Zoe wasn't throwing herself into conversation as she normally did.

Zoe nodded, affecting a yawn. "I'm just exhausted," she replied. It was true, but not in the way Black thought. She was _mentally _exhausted, and emotionally.

Black let it go, and the Gryffindor table buzzed with sympathy. She was encouraged to put her head down and rest, which she did. Maybe a little shut-eye would help...

_Luna reached over and grasped her hand. "They're idiots," she said fiercely, "for not realizing how precious you are."_

_Tears squeezed through Zoe's closed eyes. "Being a fourth child sucks." She covered her mouth, stifling the sob that was trying to escape. "I mean, Care, Klaus, and Finn don't pay me any attention at all, and Mum and Daddy don't feel like raising me. They already had everything they wanted." Zoe hiccuped a bit, her eyes stinging and throat burning. "Why did Klaus feel like it was necessary to tell me that I was a mistake?" Her voice cracked on the last word._

_"I'll be your family. I'll never leave you." Luna pulled Zoe close, stroking her hair. "Sisters, no matter what."_

_Zoe raised her head, looking Luna in her starry eyes. Normally she seemed so far away, but now Luna was _here, _right here with her. "Yes," she agreed with a watery smile._

_Luna looked up. "Do you want to make this official?" she asked._

_"How do you mean?"_

_"Blood sisters."_

_Zoe thought for a moment. "Yes," she said._

_Luna went searching for something sharp, finally coming up with a razor. She didn't hesitate to slice a wide, shallow cut into her palm._

_The other girl took the blade, and made a similar cut in her own palm. The pain came in a bright flash, and Zoe bit her lip._

_They pressed their hands together, watching their combined blood drip on the bronze carpet. It barely showed up._

_"Sisters," they said at the same time, then laughed. Zoe's despair was gone, and so were her tears._

_Zoe and Luna were happy. They found family in each other, even though they both knew it would hurt even more when it was time for Zoe to leave._

_They both hoped that this bond would keep them tethered to each other, even when Zoe was gone._

Zoe shocked awake with a small gasp, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I have to go," she said to no one in particular, and bolted.

She only distantly heard Lily call after her.

Once she reached her dormitory in the Gryffindor Tower, Zoe went through the clothes she'd arrived in. The Ravenclaw emblem seemed to burn under her fingers as she reached behind it. Luna had made pockets out of them in their second year, using an Undetectable Extension Charm, and Zoe put everything of value in it, including the picture of Luna and her together, waving their hands and laughing. The picture had been taken mere days before Zoe's fifteenth birthday.

Zoe traced Luna's scar, barely visible, on her left hand. There was another, identical scar on Zoe's right hand.

"Sisters," she said aloud, wonderingly.

Was Luna okay? Zoe knew that Luna didn't have any other friends.

Wait, that wasn't true. She was friends with Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, that she knew. Maybe she would get closer to them, and forget about-

"Please don't forget me," she pleaded with the photograph. "Please, Luna, I love you! Don't forget me."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sent her wish through time and space, praying that Luna could hear.

She curled up on the bed, yearning for the blue and bronze of her home. The photograph was still in her hand, waving up at the miserable girl. Zoe fell asleep like that, swollen-eyed and in pain.


	2. Chapter II

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. I know I have been moving things around a lot, and I'm sorry. I tried addressing the problems that came up in one review. Thanks especially to Lyra(a guest), you've called some rather important issues to my attention.**

**Please let me know if anything is weird or doesn't make sense. I look forward to feedback from you guys!**

_**II**_

_Baby Blue had a world beyond your imagination  
Every quiet breath giving you hints  
But never giving it away_

_-Annie Lyon_

Zoe's first hint that something was wrong was that she was completely ignored when she went downstairs. She frowned, confused. Her entrance in the morning always caused a swarm of Gryffindors to crowd around.

"Lily?" she greeted the red-head, though it sounded more like a question.

Lily looked up in surprise. She squinted for a moment. "Wait- Zoe?"

Zoe's eyebrows knitted together. "Do I have something on my face, or what?"

"No, no. You just look- er, different. Or feel different, or something. I almost didn't recognize you. Your nose is- and your hair-" Lily cut herself off, aware she was being rude.

Zoe flew back up to the dormitory, looking at her face in the mirror. It was the same as always. There was her tangled mass of hair, and her big nose, and the zit that appeared yesterday.

The thing was, this time she wasn't the only one that could see her flaws.

She resisted the urge to hide up there for the rest of the day, and instead made the trek down to the Great Hall with even less enthusiasm than usual.

Zoe sat with Lily, as she did every morning, and began buttering a roll.

Mary McDonald leaned over to Lily. "Where's Baby Blue?"

Lily started to respond, but saw Zoe's frantic motions to shut up, and shrugged. "I think she said she was sick. She wasn't feeling very well last night, either."

The pair went on to discuss other things, like James Potter and summer holiday, much to Zoe's relief. She looked around. No one was looking at her, and no one seemed to recognize her as Baby Blue.

Invisible. Nice.

After breakfast she went to class, alone, for once. She sat down in Potions and watched as Professor Slughorn called role, pausing at her name. Should she raise her hand?

Her decision was made for her when Lily piped up with her illness excuse. "Sir, Zoe said she was feeling ill. I'm sure she'll be well again soon." Lily gave her a small glare that said 'you'd better'.

Being invisible was nice. Slughorn didn't ask her where she came from, and neither did anyone else. She floated through the day with a gigantic smile on her face. She was headed to the last class of the day, DADA, when she spotted a group of older Slytherins.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. They would stare rather openly, but would never approach. Magnet or not, there was still a House rivalry to think of.

That was exactly the problem. Zoe wasn't thinking about it, and the Slytherins obviously were.

The first spell caused her wand to fly across the corridor and into one boy's hand. He brought it down over his knee, and Zoe watched, horrified, as her beloved wand snapped in half.

She couldn't help the tears that sprang up in her eyes.

The next hex cut across her right cheek, stopping only inches below her eye.

Zoe snapped out of her soundless, motionless state. She tried to get up from where she'd fallen and run, but a swift jinx stopped her before she'd gotten more than a few feet.

There were no words spoken, only mocking laughter. She knew exactly what they meant. _Stupid Gryffindor. You aren't so brave now, are you?_

No. No. _Not a Gryffindor. Not brave._

She was knocked back to the cold, unforgiving stone, and her head slammed hard into it. She hardly felt the pain, though there were spots in front of her eyes.

"Oh, shit! Come on!"

Was she hearing things? They were leaving?

They were gone.

"Come on, now, up you get." It was a man's voice. A professor, maybe?

_Can I?_

"Yes, sir," she said from her spot on the floor. A weathered face peered down at her. Argus Filch's face.

Zoe sat up slowly, and her vision swam. The pain floated in on white-washed wings, and she set her throbbing head on her knees.

It took a moment to get to her feet. She made it, though, gripping the wall with all of her strength.

She was barely listening as Filch dragged her down to his office, mumbling irritably about students out of class and students fighting.

Zoe finally realized that she was _in trouble._

This would never have happened if she'd still had her magnetism.

Once in his office, the caretaker ranted some more. Zoe was too busy praying for a miracle to listen. She'd never been in trouble at school before! What if she got a detention? What if she was_ expelled? _

"Please, sir," she said quietly when there was a lull. "Please let me explain."

There are many things that may have resulted in Filch doing what he did. Perhaps he was having a good day. Maybe Madame Pince had given him a token of her affection. Perhaps he didn't have quite as many aches and pains as usual.

But whatever the reason, it truly was astonishing when Filch stopped and let Zoe speak.

"I'm a Gryffindor," she started, wincing horribly at the almost-lie. "Normally Slytherins don't bother me. I've just had a... strange day, and I wasn't thinking... my wand was gone before I knew it..." She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sting in her cheek and the throbbing in her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't start the fight, and I certainly couldn't fight back."

They were both quiet for a moment before the caretaker nodded. "Fine," he grumbled. "Get out of my office before I change my mind."

Under normal circumstances, Argus Filch would never have passed up on an opportunity to get revenge on a student, but Zoe had found exactly the right words to tug at his compassion.

_'And I certainly couldn't fight back.' _

Mrs Norris jumped onto his lap, and he stroked his cat absently while wondering what on earth had gotten into him.

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe needed Luna more than ever. She would have been able to help, Zoe knew it.

She settled for Lily. Not bothering to go to DADA, she waited in the common room for Lily to walk through the portrait. As soon as she caught sight of Lily's fiery red hair, she grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her up to her dormitory.

"Do you know what's wrong yet?" Zoe hissed.

Lily shook her head. "No. I don't think it should be too much trouble, because no one else knows you're you. I almost didn't recognize you this morning, I doubt anyone will."

"Fine," Zoe frowned. "That's... good."

Lily patted her shoulder awkwardly. "But if whatever you have doesn't restart soon, we'll have to make something up, and I don't like lying, you hear?"

_It's not my fault. _"Okay." There was a pause. "Lily... you know how I wasn't in DADA?"

"About that! Just because no one knows you're yu doesn't mean-"

"Lily! I got in a fight."

The redhead stopped mid-rant. "Excuse me? That isn't like you, Zoe."

Zoe grimaced. "I know. Well, it wasn't really a fight, more like an ambush. Older Slytherins, and everything."

Lily's mouth hung open.

"Filch saved me."

"How much detention do you have, then?" Lily sighed.

"None.""You're kidding me!" Now Lily was truly shocked. "Filch caught you _fighting_, and you didn't get any punishment? Why not?"

Zoe shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. I explained to him, he let it go, I didn't question it. But the big thing is, they broke my wand."

It really registered to her in that moment. _My wand is gone. _The tears came again, this time stronger.

Lily pulled her into a hug. "I know. Five years is more than enough time to love something, isn't it?"

Zoe could only nod.

After only a few minutes, Zoe sat up and wiped the saltwater off of her face. "I guess I'll need to get a new one, won't I?" she said quietly.

Lily took out her own wand, pointing it at Zoe's face. Zoe tensed up.

"What are you doing?"

"Your cut. It's still bleeding."

Zoe sat still as her ally healed her. Finally, after a long moment of silence, she said, "I got off easy. It could've gotten so much worse."

"Yeah."

"If I don't get it back soon, they'll come after me to finish the job."

"Yeah."

"Dammit."

"Yeah."

~.*xOx*.~

Zoe fingered the photograph. She'd taken to falling asleep with it tucked securely between her fingers. Her eyes gleamed in the light of the candle beside her bed as she studied the image.

Their faces were tired, hers and Luna's, and not entirely because of her impending disappearance. There was a war going on around them, declared officially when Harry Potter came back with Cedric's corpse, sobbing and clutching and finally taken away by the impostor.

Zoe's head had been on a swivel. Amos Diggory wailing over his son's body, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley fighting, and losing, against the crowd. The Durmstrang students, with stony faces. The Beauxbatons students, some crying, some curious, some bored. Dumbledore, looking grimly after the Savior and Moody. Luna beside her, saying exactly what everyone else refused to hear- that the war had begun. That this death marked the beginning, and it wouldn't be the last.

Her eyes had been wide, trying to take the whole scene in. She and Luna hadn't left their seats in the stands, left alone where the smell of death and fear was replaced with cool air, trying to slice Zoe's throat.

The war was indeed on. There were more deaths, more attacks, more fear. Dumbledore's belief in Harry Potter only cemented her own, and as she read the Daily Prophet, Zoe couldn't help but wonder how anyone could ignore what was right in front of their eyes.

Zoe pulled herself up and out of the four-poster, taking the candle with her, leaving the photograph behind. She padded down the stairs in her socks, then stood at the bottom.

Because there, before the fire at three in the morning, was Harry Potter.


End file.
